Did 'Wonder Woman' Just Change The Course Of History As We Know It?

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Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman may be the fictitious account of a superhero's rise to glory, but its narrative is heavily based in real-life history. The World War I time period features some notable figures from German history, including Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff.

If you've seen the movie, then you'll know exactly what happens to these military figures. President Hindenberg was murdered by Ludendorff and his evil accomplice, Doctor Poison. Ludendorff himself was defeated by Diana shortly after, along with his entire stock of deadly gas.

However, the death of these two key historical figures has prompted one Redditor to question the impact on future events— namely, the possibility of World War II.

Did Diana Stop World War II?

Redditor Skjoldbro believes there's a very good reason that the film was set during World War I rather than World War II: the second World War doesn't exist in the #WonderWoman universe at all.

By killing both Ludendorff and Ares, Diana completed her mission to end World War I. But it was also her hope that by freeing mankind from Ares' control, World War I truly would the the "war to end all wars" — meaning World War II would most likely never happen. This is also implied by the German soldiers embracing their former enemies after the death of Ares.

But aside from the world being freed from #Ares' influence, the deaths of Ludendorff and Hindenberg would have very big consequences on Germany's future. Why? Because as Skjoldbro pointed out, these two men were key figures in Hitler's rise to power:

"Ludendorff was partly the reason that Hitler came to power in the Nazi party, and persuaded him to run for president. So when one of the most prolific persons, to support Hitler dies, much of his original support will not exist. Furthermore, when killing the War council, Ludendorff killed future president of Germany, Paul von Hindenburg. Hindenburg was even more instrumental in the rise of Hitler, due to his leadership and bad health, he caused much of the instability in Germany, that enabled Hitler to come to power, and he signed both Reichstag Fire Decree and Enabling Act, removing the opposition for Hitler and giving him greater power."

Hindenburg and Ludendorff both died of cancer before World War II even began, but they were still instrumental in aiding Hitler's cause. It's likely that without their help, Hitler never would have got to where he was. If this is the case, then Diana might have stopped two wars at once!

Of course, this doesn't necessarily mean World War II would never happen in the #DCEU. The idea that war amongst men could never occur without the influence of Ares is a little extreme; Humans may be easily corruptible, but that doesn't mean they're entirely innocent creatures. And if that's true, then only one questions remains: Would Diana fight in yet another World War?